US B1/B2 Visa - regarding number of days of stay
I've applied for US B1/B2 Visa and scheduled an interview. I have to attend a 4-day conference but I have entered the length of stay in the US as 10 days in the DS-160 form. This is because my conference is in Nashville and my port of entry in the US is New York City.
Now, I can take another flight between Nashville and New York, but I've decided to travel by bus (since this will be my first visit to the US and I really want to explore it by land). The round-trip time via bus is 2 overnight trips, and this adds to the total number of days to stay. To be clearer, following is my rough schedule:
24th evening - arrival in NYC
25th - recover from jet lag (travelling from India) and hopefully some sightseeing
26th - overnight bus trip to Nashville
27th - arrival in Nashville
28th to 31st - conference
1st - overnight bus trip back to NYC
2nd - arrival in NYC and flight back to India
Now, if the consular officer asks me about my purpose of visit, should I just say "attending a conference", or "attending a conference + sightseeing". Also, if s/he asks me why I'd be staying for 10 days, I want to genuinely answer that "I want to do some sightseeing as well" (and go through my above schedule if needed), but is this a "good enough reason"? I don't want my visa to be rejected on the grounds of "unclear purpose of travel".
Best Answer
Just tell the truth.
You have nothing to hide, you're doing nothing wrong. Your purpose for travel is crystal clear: you're attending the conference and doing a bit of tourist stuff, too. That's completely normal. I like to see a bit of the place if I have to travel half-way around the world, too.
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How many days we can stay in US on B1 B2 visa?
The maximum amount of time issued for a B1/B2 visa is 180 days. This visa allows for multiple entries into the United States.How many months we can stay on B1 visa?
Up to 6 months; maximum total amount of time permitted in B-1 status on any one trip is generally 1 year.Can B2 visa stay more than 6 months?
B1 and B2 visas are usually issued for a term of 10 years. Each visit may last up to six months, although some categories of visitors may apply to extend their visit for an additional 6 months.When can I return to the US after 6 months stay?
Maximum Period of Authorized Stay Therefore, a person who stays for six months and, instead of applying to extend their visit inside the U.S. if they are a visa holder or a Canadian, departs and attempts to return to the U.S. in less than six months from the departure date, will be barred from re-entry for six months.MAXIMUN STAY IN USA ON VISITOR VISA (B1 B2)
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Answer 2
Your primary purpose is to attend the conference. Tell the consular you are going for a conference and planning to stay a couple of days for sightseeing. That's what I told the immigration officer at the airport on my last trip. Of course, he was more interested in the conference.
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